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next up, How dangerous are drugs, really? seriously please do this, you are really good at presenting facts and my bet is that your research will lead to the same conclusion, prompting different more interesting questions
How interesting. I once had an argument with a friend who told me that tennis was the healthiest exercise to practice because studies were showing that tennis players live longer lives. I responded to him that it might have something to do with wealth, as I've never met a poor tennis player.
@@TileBitan my point is that nothing will change. And you role playing as the judge jury and executioner wont help either thats my point, how tf didnt yo uget that?
The problem with a lot of journalists, especially on online media - with pressure to produce so many news in a day - is that many of them don't understand research methods. They don't know how to interpret data, don't know how to quote findings. All of the things that you guys are really good at. What you guys do is amazing, and it takes capacity and skill to do it.
It's also important to note that there is a bias of sorts to what gets published in scientific publications. Journals want to present the latest, revolutionary research so there is an incentive to support findings that grab a lot of attention and will get them additional references. It's like their version of clickbait. Scientific journals aren't going to be interested in the latest study that re-affirms the conventional notion that alcohol is bad for your health in the long term.
@@madgepickles Easy answers are a problem under any -ism. Bright reporters deserve to be paid, even though they may make mistakes and even though the consumer must do his part of the lifting by using his brain.
Yeah, one every day seems like not a lot to some extent, but 2? That's more than two six packs on the weekend if we're being generous, since I'm assuming you're not gonna drink two every day unless you *really* are in deep.
@@SneakyBeakySpy We have to remember that the "standard drink" these studies are referring to is a pretty small amount of alcohol. If you go out and get drunk on a Saturday, and for you that means drinking multiple drinks with heavy alcohol content, that might actually get you to that "two drinks a day" average. But I would also like to see studies that break down this "light drinker" group into even smaller categories! After all, there's a big difference between people who have a heavier pour of wine for every dinner (which will take you into that "two drinks a day" category) and people who will only have that with a fancy weekend date night every now and then, and don't drink at all otherwise.
My first thought was "two drinks a DAY... in this economy?". That has to be well above average in many countries. To debunk what @siiri8902 said, there are actual defined measurements that are considered a "standard drink". In the US, where study that came to the conclusion that 2 drinks a day is beneficial was done, a standard drink of alcohol is .6oz of pure ethanol, equivalent to 12oz of beer that is 5% ABV, or 1.5oz of liquor that is 40% abv. It varies from country to country, but I would personally say that is an accurate definition of a standard drink of alcohol in the US. It does seem the most popular measurement for a standard drink internationally is 10g of alcohol, or .4oz, which to me seems pretty low being a 3% 12oz beer or just 1oz of 40% liquor, but that doesn't apply in this case.
@@SneakyBeakySpy Especially since a "standard drink" can vary from a country to the next. One (1) "standard drink" in the USA is a drink which contains 14g of alcohol, whereas there only needs to be 8g of alcohol for a drink to be considered one standard drink in the UK. For instance, in the UK, a can (500ml) of beer at around 5% is about 2.5 drinks (so with just a can a day you are above the 2 drink/day limit). In the USA, the same can amounts to around 1.41 drinks. In Japan, where a standard drink is defined by a drink containing 20g of alcohol, that same can is just shy of 1 drink. So it's all around pretty messy and it would be useful to know what standard unit is used in the video (though I would guess USA).
17:00 If your friends don't invite you to outings because you don't drink then you need to find new friends. In my friend groups if you don't drink we respect it. Some people like a bit of pot, they offer it to me and I refuse it, and they respect that. We can say no to each other and nobody judges us for it. That's how friends are. They care about your best interests. You can say no, and they still invite you to parties because you are someone they want to hang out with. If your friends are not like that then maybe it's time to consider different friends. You should be friends with people who lift you up, not people who drag you down.
If you’re someone who struggles with making friends, what if it’s actually more healthy to drink a bit and keep your friends rather than risk becoming lonely for the rest of your life
@@Alex-02 If you’re someone who struggles dealing with people’s bs and need to drink more because they’re a buzzkill, being alone is healthier. My desire to drink pretty much disappeared since I quit hanging with ppl who made me want to drink.
@@blondequijote I’m not claiming to know anything, just asking if you could imagine such a possibility. If you can, then you can’t make generalized claims like OP. Also I don’t think being alone is necessarily healthier, pretty sure loneliness is a pretty good predictor of poor lifespan outcomes. Personally I think my social life would be noticeably worse if I entirely refused alcohol in the past. Despite this I still wish it wasn’t such a big part of society and I’m actively trying to drink less.
@Alex-02 booze or not, being with ppl doesn't = cure for loneliness. I'm pickier with what I drink and who I drink with since I realized I don't like drinking as much as I thought. I only like going for a bit of alcoholic oblivion when I don't like the vibe. Otherwise I'll sip or get just get stoned instead
How the heck are you guys so good at this, reporting and following the evidence ? I mean not jumping to conclusions, is this what jurnalism teaches ? I need to get this skill too ! Congrats on another gem of a video.
Are there people out there who teach your ways to the others? Or is there no big market for this? More like sensationalism und flat out bullshittery for engagement I suppose At least we have Howtown
@@jojojojojojojojojojojojob sure but the discipline and drive to sit down with this information, not jump to conclusions, not force a result... that's not everyone's beer.
Hank's Razor is, hands down, the phenomenon that I have personally noticed the most out of any confounding factors in experiments. Or, wait... Do I only notice it.. because of my own socioeconomic status...
People ingesting >intoxicating< substances and claiming it does not do damage is one thing, but to claim that it makes them healthier is an insane level of copium.
The dose is the poison. Marijuana for example is objectively known to have some benefits for a lot of people. Addictive painkillers can help some people function, when pain would otherwise handicap them.
There are many alcoholics who believe they are only "moderate drinkers." There's also less research on "occasional" binge drinking, ie on the weekends.
@@alexrogers777 I think their question is more along the lines of, "7 drinks per week: 1 per day vs 7 in one day". Pretty much how much different would that impact things, even though the quantity is the same.
@@alexrogers777 This is just not true. Binge drinking is the act of drinking a certain amount of alcohol within a certain amount of time. The numbers I've generally seen in my safe alcohol sales training are 4 drinks within 2 hours. If you do this every single day you are still binge drinking every single day, and it is not occasional.
Once, several years ago, I tried to google how much an alcoholic drinks after watching TV shows portraying alcoholics. I've known several people with a fifth-of-hard-liquor-a-day habits that I'd classify as alcoholic, but what about the average alcoholic. I could get no answer. literally every search result was in the form of "If you're questioning how much you drink, you already have a problem". OK, but I wasn't asking about me, I wanted to compare those on the TV shows. So I still don't know if 2 drinks a day make someone an alcoholic or if one drink a week (but REALLY needing it!) makes one an alcoholic. I did hear a stat on the radio from Britain that said "Researchers found that of those who have 4 drinks a day, 25% are alcoholics"--which made me wonder what the other 75% were.
I love how well this captures just how complicated it is to research drugs, or for that matter almost anything. All of that research of the 20th century was well executed, it's just almost impossible to actually eliminate other factors. Also props for the smoothest subscribe plug I've ever seen.
I'm a student scientist, just about to finish my masters in environmental biology. Your channel is like a breath of fresh air! I think one of the major problems with modern 'news' and 'informative' outlets is the fact that they only cover topics on a surface level. I really appreciate the fact you look into the data itself, you don't just take it at face value.
Never drank in my life and people judge me for it. These studies were always in the back of my mind and I was worried that not drinking might be worse so thank you for making this.
My 17-year-old brother has no interest in alcohol despite it being freely available at my mother's house. She keeps trying to tell him he will have to start drinking in college too socialize properly... He's a straight A student with a cheerleader girlfriend. He doesn't need alcohol It's freaking wild that this deadly poison is so ingrained in our societies. It kills more people than all the other drugs combined
Hey Josh, you don’t need research data, or the content of this video to be validated for your choice. You should know that when people judge you for not drinking, the truth is it is not you they are judging, they are simply revealing their own self imposed feelings of inadequacy for not having your conviction, and some will even try to make feel like you are judging them, even though that is not your intention at all.
@@TGMisKillingTheMiddleClass Last sentence is just flat out ridiculous. If everybody was on hard substances society would fall. It's also one of the biggest contributors to crime.
There's one issue I have with your graph, summarized: Low drinking=low risk, high drinking=high risk Is that alcohol for many is habit forming. So a few drinks LEADS TO more drinks in many scenarios. So part of the risk of having a few drinks should include the risk of having more drinks, which is associated with negative outcomes
@exercisethemind technically no alcohol is addictive, if you're using a clinical definition of addiction. but with someone with a habit, one drink can get easily lead to another
The whole episode I kept thinking of Maintenance Phase's episode about the French Paradox -- part of the "some wine is good" craze in the 90s seems to have originated in the way that different countries label cardiovascular deaths, with French doctors less willing to note "heart attack" as cause of death. There are a lot of confounds here!
I think this newer research saved me from alcoholism. Under the "1-2 drinks a day is healthier than none" paradigm, it is too easy to rationalize too much drinking. I am glad the media is no longer gaslighting alcoholics into thinking "just have 1-2 drinks, you'll be healthier than if you have none at all." The obsession with drinking like a normal person fades away a quite a bit when you realize that you don't want to be drinking 1-2 drinks because it's not healthy and your normal-drinking peers are not getting any extra health points that you are missing out on.
Thats why things like this really do need to be clearly condemned, and this is only the direct health consequence of drinking, not to mention domestic violence, vehicular manslaughter, SA, and an overall societal acceptance of not caring about the faculties of your mind. Alhamdulillah for Islam forbidding alcohol 1400 years ago even when the society it started in was very alcoholic not long before.
@@antri1997 I mean, it seemed pretty relevant. Just like if there was a study saying "you need to eat fish once a week", it would be relevant to mention catholicism (and probably a some other religions)
@@MrJeanlebonjambon Why? Islam doesnt tell you to not drink alcohol because they scientifically analyzed its compounds, its simply through random guess. Otherwise, with islam logic you should ban medicines since they are technically drugs but of course that doesnt make any sense.
@@antri1997 They basically said "Thank God alcohol has been prohibited in this medieval society". The reason doesn't matter. I don't really understand where the problem is. They didn't say "join me in my belief of Islam", they just said "I'm happy that Islam outlawed alcohol 1400 years ago"
Question: Is the "2 Drinks a Day" an absolute value of 2 drinks every single day, or is it more in line with "An average of 2 drinks per day in a week? (14 drinks / week)". Is this research applicable to someone who say has 7 drinks on Friday and 7 drinks on Saturday? Does the rate of consumption relate to any health outcomes?
The rate matters a lot, and the 2 drinks per day usually mean just that, an average, which is one of the problems with many studies. Another is that the type of alcoholic beverage consumed matters too, and that is not discussed here. I posted a comment regarding these issues as well.
it is a rate, and that is a problem with these studies, distinguishing the rate with the actual drinking pattern and how that changes things. Binge drinking lacks a whole lot of formalized research as to health effects (which are likely not good, but how much?) for a number of reasons and a lot of confounding variables.
Great episode, your channel is quickly becoming one of my favorites! Don't know if you'll see this, but I've always had a question about the format that you use. It's setup as one person acting as a layperson, responding as though they have little to no knowledge of subject. Radiolab is a good example of this approach as well. It's always come off to me as somewhat artificial. Radiolab in particular is almost egregious in how far one plays the "I'm surprised by every statement being made". Is this genuine in that one of you is going blind into the discussion, or is the discussion crafted to try to represent the responses/questions that the audience may be having? Regardless, really enjoy the content and hope your channel really takes off!
We've experimented with how much the "layperson" knows beforehand ... for this one and the animal sentience one, the non-expert (in the case of this episode, Joss) came in completely blind. But honestly that makes it pretty hard to edit because we kept going on tangents. For other episodes we've shared an outline before we record the conversation just so we have a general sense of the direction and can be more efficient. I interned at Radiolab once upon a time, and for the episodes I witnessed, they'd record a bunch of conversations as they went along - and the first conversations contained genuine reactions which they would try to use in the final product. But then as the weeks went by, the recordings would obviously become more ... informed - Adam
@Howtown thank you for the answer! I think one of the reasons I like your content so much is that Joss (in the case of this episode) doesn't actually come off as a "layperson" but instead as a person with a science background that's just not familiar with the details of the topic (which, as you've described, is completely genuine). Other shows are sometimes so jarring in how much one presenter acts as though they have no background knowledge even though they've been performing science journalism for years! Just a long winded way of saying that I think your entire team is doing a fantastic job!
@@Howtown I really like the format, like you're taking turns telling each other cool stuff you found. I know it's complicated, but I'd love to get some more of those tangents.
Great question. I'd like to concur that the "one person is pretending that they don't already know the story and reacting as if it's their first time hearing it, but it's not really" in non-fictional / educational material like this really rubs me the wrong way, but I don't recall ever getting that feeling from Howtown. I guess that behavior just feels dishonest in a way I don't like from non-fiction, especially "educational"-y non-fiction. (All acting is "dishonest" in this sense, and I imagine that's why people think it's ok, it's just acting, but ugh.)
This is why understanding what alcohol does within the body is more effective than statistics. Statistics are only superior for processes thathat can't be scientifically examined.
Hell yea. I've grown up surrounded mostly by people that were into drinking, be it family members or friends, but i never really had the chance or desire to drink. Past year i've drank a few times heavier than before and realized for myself just how addicting it was. Got drunk for the first time alone in my room and craved to drink for the next month and a half. It's awful.
Coming up on 6 months! I thought I would miss it, I thought I'd have a hard time socially, but actually I don't miss it at all. Neither does my bank account 😂
I've been sober for awhile now, don't really know how long. Quitting alcohol wasn't really difficult for me though so I don't consider it an accomplishment. I used marijuana for awhile and quit that too. Exercise and good nutrition kinda solved my need for that dopamine hit I guess. I have a feeling a lot of people are chronically undernourished, and that causes them to seek unhealthy coping mechanisms.
Found your channel because of the hot ones video and stayed a subscriber. I love the way you convey information. You know the video is entertaining when 17 mins feel like 5 mins. 👏
A topic you might feel is worth looking into could be the ideal sodium intake. I feel the general narrative in society may be to cut down on salt (and therefore sodium). I am not so well-researched on the topic, but I think there may be some conflicting studies on what is the ideal sodium intake - with lower sodium intakes potentially having drawbacks. Furthermore, those that exercise frequently may benefit from sodium.
AFAIK sodium guidance may be based on those with hypertension. Those without hypertension can probably consume more safely. Salt of course has a lot of benefits beyond the minimum needed to survive, it extends shelf life without the need for artificial preservatives. It also make lower calorie foods more palatable.
As researcher here. Sodium it's bad for you as the current aversge intake. There is a sweet spot between 1.5G of sodium and 2.3 where the guidelines based on the science are recommended. Cutting down salt it's good your overall health. If you do sweat a lot from exersice or you are in a ketogenic diet that's prone to lose electrolytes. An increase of all electrolytes would be recommended. This means taking sodium with the right amount of potassium and magnesium. That is not more salt but rather something like a sachet of electrolytes or a gatetorade. Some of the issues as well are derived because the aversge American consumes way too much sodium compared to potassium that can counteract its harmful effects
I'm incredibly happy with your content. Your explanations are clear and engaging, and just to the right level of depth for me to get a first grasp on a subject.
Loved this video! Came accross Howtown in the beginning of this year and I am really enjoying the topics your team presents. You're able to present dense research in an engaging way through entertaining story telling and compelling graphs! Very great stuff, thank you!
13:39 "People die in car crashes, doesn't mean we're not going to drive." This fallacy must be challenged. We can no longer accept death by automobile as inevitable.
A follow-up video or piece of research I’d love to see is on binge drinking and the health effects of different patterns of alcohol consumption. For example: What are the long term effects of having 7 drinks in one sitting once per week vs. 1 drink per day every day? Or: Despite the total consumption being higher, is it better to have 2 drinks per day than to have 12 drinks in one sitting weekly? This feels particularly relevant to teenagers and young adults
These videos are so great! The information is well put together, the graphics are beautiful, the style is unique, and Joss & Adam are very charming presenters!
What I don't get about the study is how 2 drinks a day is a "moderate" drinker? That is basically an alcoholic, someone who is regularly consuming effective amounts of alcohol. If it said 2 drinks a week, I would understand it. Drinking a cup of wine while eating or having a couple of beers during the weekends with your friends is what being moderate should be. I would be interested in how that would really affect you.
These studies measure 'standard drinks'. A 330ml beer with 5% alcohol is 1.3 standard drinks & a generous pour of wine could easily be 2. I don't think that kind of averaging is reflective of the way most people drink though. It's easy to imagine some Italian family that has exactly one & only one glass of wine with every meal, but in the real world people might drink 7 standard drinks on a Saturday night & then stay sober for the rest of the week. I suspect those health outcomes are not going to be the same.
@@bbqR0ADK1LL The study that is being cited was done in the US where a standard drink is equivalent to a 12oz (350ml) beer that is 5% ABV. Either way a person that actually drinks every single day is very likely an alcoholic even if they don't recognize it. I would think it's safe to say that the majority of alcoholics don't even drink every single day.
Bro that's not excessive drinking. Nor does it make said person an alchoholic. Excessive driking is drinking 5-8 high percent beverages a day every day. That's the point I'm at. I'm trying to cut down to the very reasonable 2
I don’t normally comment on RUclips, but I’ve just recently discovered you all and have been blown away by the rigor of your research and the subsequent simple, articulate presentation. Reminds me of everything I loved about peak Veritasium. I also love the way you two interact - healthy, enthusiastic collaboration. You’ve earned another earnest subscriber. Excited to see more!
As someone who is cutting back on drinking at a young age due to: 1. Wanting to get fit (alcohol + gym = why bother?); 2. Seeing how much harm alcohol does to my mood when drinking even once a week; 3. Absolute hypochondria and paranoia of fear of cancer. The "putting into perspective" part of your video was very insightful to understand that last part with less fear and more respect. The early corrected curve seems to compound exponentially between 0-2, and understanding that eventual (before casual) drinking is not the end of the world. Yes there is a chance that I might get on those 60 something people earlier, but its so diminutive that its wiser to listen to your own body and not stress too much about it while still in conscious moderation. Tldr: thank you so much for helping an anxious numbers guy that sucks in biology make sense of this news
Great video. It shows why it pays off for researchers to revisit older findings. And Hank's razor is the coolest things, will definitely start using it for my own research and teaching!
alcohol can have a negative impact on the gut microbiome. Here's how: * Changes in bacterial diversity: Alcohol can alter the balance of bacteria in your gut, leading to an overgrowth of certain types and a depletion of others. This imbalance, known as dysbiosis, can disrupt digestion and potentially lead to inflammation. * Leaky gut: Excessive alcohol consumption can damage the lining of the gut, making it more permeable. This allows harmful substances to leak into the bloodstream, potentially triggering inflammation and immune reactions. * Reduced nutrient absorption: Alcohol can interfere with the absorption of essential nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, which can further weaken the gut barrier and compromise overall health. I enjoy your content.
I swear, I just found you guys earlier this week, and you have already become one of my absolute favorite channels. I've watched and will continue to watch everything you release.
As a chronic relapser who struggled for years and done a LOT of research and reading up about the effects of drinking, you are better off drinking one night a week and maybe going kind of hard than you are just having 1 drink a night. when you drink every day, your body is never given time to recover. you will get stuck in a cycle of drinking at night, feeling good, passing out, waking up hungover, repeat ad nauseum. Im truly a believer that NO ammount of booze is good for you. Coming up on 3 years sober and i would never want to go back to the life i had drinking.
Many people hide behind “one glass a day” and have difficult times facing the fact that they can’t skip that “one” glass. Same goes for that “Friday night drink” as long as “occasional” means “every X” it’s bad. Good for you. I stopped smoking 4 years ago and it was so hard, I can only imagine how much harder it would have been if every so often someone would say “here have a smoke, just to say cheers, you don’t need to smoke it, just hold it for the photo”.
@@lucieciepka1031When you drink liquor that one glass can be a lot of alcohol 😂. I have an alcoholic buddy who sometimes just drinks two beers. Except they are 40s
@@TGMisKillingTheMiddleClass yeah thats what i think, a glass and a beer can are two different things... i drink 2 cans, 500ml, 6%, every day after work, i feel good. but i know its not good. I don't know what to think of this. the older you get the more parts of the body will fall apart regardless, so why not just enjoy things while they last? (its not like i want to live up to 60's and barely function, i take care of a grandma that cannot move, i'd rather die than be in that state)
14:20 "thats not so bad" this is the worst case scenerio. where alcohol is literally causing you damage and pain. even at light drinking this is happening for many ppl each year. you dont see this for any other enjoyment beverages. thats pretty bad.
You all are creating some of the best video journalism out here. Not only is the journalism excellent, but cutting together a cohesive narrative thru your interviews, b-roll, sound ups, and your own to-camera segments and animations, all as a two-person operation, is incredible. Oh and love the beer-pouring montage hook-if you were going for style from Edgar Wright's 'The World's End', you nailed it!
13:35 Actually it should mean exactly that we will not drive our cars. Places which rely on public transit and biking have massively lower road user and pedestrian deaths.
Maybe a follow up topic on how safe travel is by type of transportation and share of transportation modes in the area. We have tons of deaths and injuries from having lots of car use, but is the individual safer in a car? I don't know. To your point though, I'm not sure if the person being shown connects the dots that cars are very dangerous and maybe we should make it easier for people to use them less.
And still the biggest risk for people using public transit, pedestrians, and bikers, is being hit by a person driving a car. Also, I bet one of the biggest contributors to being hit by a driver results from the blind spot created by parked cars on the side of the road.
Me and my husband stopped drinking because we were afraid that coupled with the constant fatigue, we wouldn’t be able to wake up if our daughter cried at night. Now we allow ourselves the occasional drink when we have guests/ we are invited and I can tell you that it hasn’t contributed positively to our lives, but also just straight out refusing a drink is weird… so yeah, I get the J.
When people talk about the dangerous of alcohol, they mostly talk about the health damage it cause. And ignore all the social problem it cause. From drunk driving to wife abuse to money waste... No intoxicant is good for us, if you combine all the harm that it causes, it will surpass whatever minuscule benefit that it may provide.
Uhhhhh..... You at least know that most drinkers don't drive or abuse anyone, right? Like, huge majority. People drive bad and abuse people with no alcohol, too, so there is no way you can tie those behaviors to alcohol without testing it. Those people might be that same way without needing a drop it just so happens that they also drink. Get it?
But people like you forget one important aspect. It's fun. And most people don't turn into addicts. You clearly missed the point about Hanks Razor. If it can be explained by socioeconomic issues, it's probably socioeconomic issues. Alcohol alone doesn't make anyone punch their spouse lol. Alcohol works as a mood multiplier and removes inhibitions. If you're having a great time with friends, alcohol makes you have a greater time, and makes you able to relax more, talk about subjects you never would have talked about sober, do things you probably wouldn't do sober. For most people this leads to fun nights out once in a while. I have made so many friends, gotten so many great experiences etc from drinking alcohol ~weekly during college and monthly now in my adulthood.
Yeah, the thing is, whatever benefit alcohol might have, if you look at its impact holistically with a sober view, it's always a net detriment. Equally importantly, the benefits alcohol might otherwise have had could easily be replaced by alternatives that don't have the same detriments, if you're willing to change habit and cultural behavior. That is the hard part, because as social creatures changing that starts with the individual but ends with the group.
@@Howtown Literally everything? Is that a valid answer? Is there a scientific reason (as opposed to the many sociological ones) that we orient "north" as "up" in a astronomical sense? Is putting New Zealand at the top of the map as scientifically valid as the opposite when we look at the galaxy? Apparently time (which is of course an illusion) is experienced differently by creatures of different sizes. How did scientists determine that mouse time is slower than elephant time? One of my favorite "factoids" is that humans share as much as 50% of our DNA with bananas. But if I'm being honest, I don't /really/ know what that means, not in a concrete sense. Plus, it's probably false/over-exaggerated. This one is incredibly niche, but I'm so baffled by it. I've heard that dogs know (approximately) when their owner will come home (on the average (well, mode-ian?) day) based on how much the owner's smell has dissipated while the owner has been gone. How on earth did anyone measure that?????
I wish I could say the same thing, I am 60, had my first drink at 23 and my last drink at 46. My alcohol consumption was light to moderate during that period, looking back, I definitely would have preferred my consumption to be non existent. Such a waste of money, a friend of mine used to call the money that he spent on alcohol as “bladder bucks”. Anyhow, good for you, I can guarantee that are not missing out by making that life choice.
@CountryMusicSavedMe I know i'm probably not missing out on much. I've already got a friend group (most are in their 20s) who I can watch movies with, go to the park, go hiking, go fishing, go skiing (in Norway by the way) and so on with without any alcohol being involved so I'm pretty lucky in that regard. I plan to never drink but also never smoke, never eat processed and/or junk food and always be as healthy as I can be. It's not that I want to live forever, I'm fine dying at 65 or 70 or something but I want the years, decades I live to be as healthy as I can be, I'm 19 at the moment but I hope I can still be physically healthy and still have no major health problems in my 40s, 50s, 60s even possibly. It's all about the choices you make and every age point matters.
I'm a former long-term moderate drinker, slowly tapering down. I hear everyone talking about folks who have one or two drinks a day, as if there's a whole class of alcohol consumers out there who actually do that. There's not. Tolerance sets in, and two beers simply won't do anything for you. It certainly doesn't give me a buzz, and I'm a lightweight who never could drink a lot at one time without vomiting from dawn until dusk the next day. I guess I could sum up my position by saying that very few people who drink on a daily basis limit themselves to just one or two.
Yeah. These studies are hard for the amount of variables that exist. You cannot compare a person who has some drinks a week but has great nutrition and exercises daily to a non-drinker who eats fast foods on a daily basis and does not exercise.
Also need to take into account genetics and body type too. Also, what are they drinking? Different drinks have different ABV levels and different contents and different fermentation and distillation methods that could affect your health wildly.
This channel is just amazing, the way yall communicate topics is really unique, ive been binge watching your content and Ive learned so many things, keep the great work! (also, amazing editing!)
German here, our Alcohol manufacturers are so incredibly powerful that the stopped a left leaning government from enacting stricter rules on alochol advertisements. It is especially bad in bavaria, but the issue is nationwide. we are a drunk af country and legalising weed has only increased the problematic look ppl have towards drugs.
I Heard Germany is very relaxed with alcohol. You are seen as wierd in social gatherings, it is part of various festivals and celebrations, and even teens are relaxed about it. Is all of this true?? I don't know since i don't live there
Alcohol also increases the risks of accidents, domestic violence and other violent crimes. On the other hand, it can enhance your social life and benefit your well-being. Something a study could barely even cover. At this point, it's not about the alcohol itself. I think it makes little sense to look at individuals. The more important question is, does alcohol benefit or harm a society as a whole.
Imagine sitting in a retirement home, and not being allowed a beer or smal glass of strong spirit once per week (whatever you fancy, peoples taste varies) because is has detrimental health effect. You lived past expectations, you are no longer in peak condition and that special moment once a week will bring back good memories and improve your mental state. But not, if you drink that amount of alcohol, you might shorten your remaining life span by a day or two (theoretically, based on someone drinking three times that every day, so 20 times more).
I remember once Jordan Peterson (who lived in a very, err, alcohol enhanced region of Canada) said something along the lines of "drinking a little is better than drinking nothing", in the sense that alcohol still mediates sociality in regions like his, and to forfeit it meant to forfeit a non-small portion of social life. I'm a light drinker and I recognize the advantages of never drinking anything, but I also have to face the fact that my friends drink, and if I went full Eminem that would be yet another element of distance between me and them. Overall I'd lose 1% chance to get a heart attack at 60 in exchange for talking to them less, and maybe eventually losing touch.
A 2019 Columbia University study found that light smokers (less than 5 per day) were closer to heavy smokers (30+ per day) in terms of lost lung function than non-smokers. Light smokers lost lung function at 75% the rate of heavy smokers. The relationship between dose and ill effects on health is highly non-linear. Basically light smoking is closer to heavy smoking than it is to not smoking.
Who the hell smokes one cigarette every day consistently? Social smokers will not smoke for weeks and then smoke 10 cigs at a party but I've never seen anyone who smoked regularly who didn't smoke at least 1/3 of a pack per day.
So I will share with you my alcohol drinking experience along with my experiment with nicotine from using a JUUL. Since the nicotine experience came first I will start with when I tried JUUL. When I first tried JUUL I ordered it online and had it shipped to my address before they stopped doing that (at least in my area.) I could not get past the coughing fits and it really messed up my lungs for about 2 years and I only used it for a few weeks so after that I stopped using it and literally threw it into the garbage. Now lets talk about alcohol, When I first tried alcohol I drank Mikes Hard and I tried the black berry and the mango versions of the drink. During that time I just could not get past the taste of the alcohol in the drink. After about two weeks like with JUUL I stopped drinking alcohol and never picked up a beer or wine glass or even a can again. I was always told that all legal drugs should be done in moderation but I never really got into drugs, In fact the only legal drug I drink is coffee. I hope this post might help some people who want to try the drugs a personal opinion to help them choose if they want to try alcohol.
Ah, so Vox and NPR came together and created this masterpiece of a channel?! Love it, keep up the amazing work! Love your channel and the topics you cover!
I hope to say the same in 15 years, I've already slowed down a bunch and recognized my unhealthy relationship with alcohol. There is no 'one drink' Starting with 2025, and I have a feeling after one year I can get over all the social drinking aspects. Anxiety won't get better if I need liquid poison to get through social shit
Yeah, the sick person thing is absolutely true. I would hate to be in one of those studies because I am an almost complete non-drinker...but that is largely due to the fact I have multiple serious conditions that leave me disabled. I would seriously fuck up the numbers for non-drinkers, but it entirely reverses causation. Me not drinking didn't make me unhealthy, me being unhealthy made me a non-drinker.
A few years ago my doctor at the annual visit asked how much I drink. I said about a 12 pack. She looked alarmed. "Every day"? No, I said, about a 12 pack over the course of a year. She seemed relieved. In reality I probably only do about a six over the course of the year. I just don't much enjoy alcohol anymore. Sort of give me an immediate hangover and horrific heartburn.
At 1:28, you mention the common assumption that cheese might 'cause' heart attacks. There are many similar claims made about saturated fats in general, cholesterol and also red meats on those topics. All of these are often purported to be very unhealthy by the media and even 'health' organisations. How bad are they actually? Could you make a similar episode on that?
They are bad. Increase LDL. Cholesterol and Apo B. They are some of the major causes of atherosclerosis. We don't need cholesterol for hormones. Because we already make our own cholesterol. Some saturated fat it's fine. But that doesn't mean it's healthy. They are also inflammatory on their own. Cause damage to our microbiome and inflames our gut
Go to ground.news/howtown to unlock perspectives beyond media bias and stay informed with the facts. Subscribe through our link for 40% off unlimited access.
next up, How dangerous are drugs, really?
seriously please do this, you are really good at presenting facts and my bet is that your research will lead to the same conclusion, prompting different more interesting questions
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How interesting.
I once had an argument with a friend who told me that tennis was the healthiest exercise to practice because studies were showing that tennis players live longer lives. I responded to him that it might have something to do with wealth, as I've never met a poor tennis player.
That's actually the very topic (racquet sports = health) that Hank was addressing when he made his Hank's Razor tiktok!
@@Howtown Opa! Going to check it out!
i mean, most tennis players are poor, they don’t even break even. only the top 30 players make enough money.
Ima play Tennis so I become rich then 😎
@@AdhiNarayananYR that's exactly why they have to come from Rich families to play tennis on tour for so long before breaking even
"a glass of red wine is just as good as an hour at the gym" saying that on TV should be held accountable
No surprise that came from Fox News
Lots of thing should be accountable but we dont live in a fking fairy tale now do we
Idk what's your point. Fine and make the TV broadcast retract their statement? It's not a fairy tale
@@TileBitan my point is that nothing will change. And you role playing as the judge jury and executioner wont help either
thats my point, how tf didnt yo uget that?
@@NakedAvanger you can stand on the sidelines while the rest of us move the world forwards, that's fine by me too
The problem with a lot of journalists, especially on online media - with pressure to produce so many news in a day - is that many of them don't understand research methods. They don't know how to interpret data, don't know how to quote findings. All of the things that you guys are really good at. What you guys do is amazing, and it takes capacity and skill to do it.
It's also important to note that there is a bias of sorts to what gets published in scientific publications. Journals want to present the latest, revolutionary research so there is an incentive to support findings that grab a lot of attention and will get them additional references. It's like their version of clickbait. Scientific journals aren't going to be interested in the latest study that re-affirms the conventional notion that alcohol is bad for your health in the long term.
whether they understand or not, under capitalism they exist in a system that incentivizes quick and controversial or shocking/surprising answers
@@madgepickles yes! Highly agree. Its also the industry itself that forces them to operate that way
@@Jertude1981 true!
@@madgepickles Easy answers are a problem under any -ism. Bright reporters deserve to be paid, even though they may make mistakes and even though the consumer must do his part of the lifting by using his brain.
Next thing you’re gonna tell me is that smoking is bad for you too.
😂
Yeah it is. Thats why I only vape now 😏
😂😂😂😂😂
@@Roguerebel297 you silly troll
@@Roguerebel297too bad, I'll tell you that it's bad too😢
Great episode! Thanks for breaking this down so clearly and with nuance. The world needs more of this
Omg it's Derek!
@@JosGeerink nah it's some intern on his team probs
Sup nerds 🤣❤️
Surprising that "two drinks a day" is being referred to as a little. It's really a lot to average two drinks a day
Yeah, one every day seems like not a lot to some extent, but 2? That's more than two six packs on the weekend if we're being generous, since I'm assuming you're not gonna drink two every day unless you *really* are in deep.
@@SneakyBeakySpy We have to remember that the "standard drink" these studies are referring to is a pretty small amount of alcohol. If you go out and get drunk on a Saturday, and for you that means drinking multiple drinks with heavy alcohol content, that might actually get you to that "two drinks a day" average. But I would also like to see studies that break down this "light drinker" group into even smaller categories! After all, there's a big difference between people who have a heavier pour of wine for every dinner (which will take you into that "two drinks a day" category) and people who will only have that with a fancy weekend date night every now and then, and don't drink at all otherwise.
@@siiri8902 Yeah that's very fair, I guess I didn't really consider how much "a standard drink" is
My first thought was "two drinks a DAY... in this economy?". That has to be well above average in many countries.
To debunk what @siiri8902 said, there are actual defined measurements that are considered a "standard drink". In the US, where study that came to the conclusion that 2 drinks a day is beneficial was done, a standard drink of alcohol is .6oz of pure ethanol, equivalent to 12oz of beer that is 5% ABV, or 1.5oz of liquor that is 40% abv. It varies from country to country, but I would personally say that is an accurate definition of a standard drink of alcohol in the US. It does seem the most popular measurement for a standard drink internationally is 10g of alcohol, or .4oz, which to me seems pretty low being a 3% 12oz beer or just 1oz of 40% liquor, but that doesn't apply in this case.
@@SneakyBeakySpy Especially since a "standard drink" can vary from a country to the next. One (1) "standard drink" in the USA is a drink which contains 14g of alcohol, whereas there only needs to be 8g of alcohol for a drink to be considered one standard drink in the UK. For instance, in the UK, a can (500ml) of beer at around 5% is about 2.5 drinks (so with just a can a day you are above the 2 drink/day limit). In the USA, the same can amounts to around 1.41 drinks. In Japan, where a standard drink is defined by a drink containing 20g of alcohol, that same can is just shy of 1 drink. So it's all around pretty messy and it would be useful to know what standard unit is used in the video (though I would guess USA).
17:00 If your friends don't invite you to outings because you don't drink then you need to find new friends. In my friend groups if you don't drink we respect it. Some people like a bit of pot, they offer it to me and I refuse it, and they respect that. We can say no to each other and nobody judges us for it. That's how friends are. They care about your best interests. You can say no, and they still invite you to parties because you are someone they want to hang out with. If your friends are not like that then maybe it's time to consider different friends. You should be friends with people who lift you up, not people who drag you down.
If you’re someone who struggles with making friends, what if it’s actually more healthy to drink a bit and keep your friends rather than risk becoming lonely for the rest of your life
@@Alex-02 If you’re someone who struggles dealing with people’s bs and need to drink more because they’re a buzzkill, being alone is healthier. My desire to drink pretty much disappeared since I quit hanging with ppl who made me want to drink.
Agreed. The way I see it, people who talk about the social benefits of alcohol consumption are just looking for an excuse to get drunk.
@@blondequijote I’m not claiming to know anything, just asking if you could imagine such a possibility. If you can, then you can’t make generalized claims like OP. Also I don’t think being alone is necessarily healthier, pretty sure loneliness is a pretty good predictor of poor lifespan outcomes.
Personally I think my social life would be noticeably worse if I entirely refused alcohol in the past. Despite this I still wish it wasn’t such a big part of society and I’m actively trying to drink less.
@Alex-02 booze or not, being with ppl doesn't = cure for loneliness. I'm pickier with what I drink and who I drink with since I realized I don't like drinking as much as I thought. I only like going for a bit of alcoholic oblivion when I don't like the vibe. Otherwise I'll sip or get just get stoned instead
This channel quickly has become one of my favorites. Keep up the good work of investigative journalism
same!
How the heck are you guys so good at this, reporting and following the evidence ?
I mean not jumping to conclusions, is this what jurnalism teaches ?
I need to get this skill too !
Congrats on another gem of a video.
Are there people out there who teach your ways to the others? Or is there no big market for this? More like sensationalism und flat out bullshittery for engagement I suppose
At least we have Howtown
This information has been reported for a couple of years. But they do a fantastic job in presenting the facts and show the context.
Its all publicly available data.
@@jojojojojojojojojojojojob sure but the discipline and drive to sit down with this information, not jump to conclusions, not force a result... that's not everyone's beer.
You need to have a nerdy perspective.
When someone comes up with something crazy or out of ordinary ask for details, metadology and results.
9:27 imagine being a heavy drinker for 40 years and then finding out you were in control and drinking non-alcoholic beer the whole time 😂
😂😂😂
mfw i have 40 more years
Thats what you get for not reading the label you freak.
I'd call that a win
@@FloatingLeaf1111if it’s a placebo situation I’m sure it’s not labeled
Hank's Razor is, hands down, the phenomenon that I have personally noticed the most out of any confounding factors in experiments. Or, wait... Do I only notice it.. because of my own socioeconomic status...
😂
Jojo-H's Ancillary Razor Extension
So refreshing to listen to an earnest attempt at answering the question rather than picking a side and arguing for it.
Imma call it and see if I'm wrong. The reason few drinks show better outcomes is that correlates with people with active or more healthy social lives.
I was only partially right and learned new things. A good outcome.
But I think it's good you have the instinct to think about those confounding factors
That was my thinking as well. Very interesting.
Yeah. That's what they said about disproportionate income. It was in the video.
I guess some reasons too, but learned a lot
People ingesting >intoxicating< substances and claiming it does not do damage is one thing, but to claim that it makes them healthier is an insane level of copium.
^^^this
I'm an addict and yeah, dont kid yourself. Every drug kills you in its own unique way
the hardest part is convincing someone that its not healthy =/
I dunno man, my coffee is pretty intoxicating and it seems pretty benign
go tell that to the doctors prescribing medicine
The dose is the poison. Marijuana for example is objectively known to have some benefits for a lot of people. Addictive painkillers can help some people function, when pain would otherwise handicap them.
There are many alcoholics who believe they are only "moderate drinkers." There's also less research on "occasional" binge drinking, ie on the weekends.
Binge drinking is occasional by definition
@@alexrogers777 I think their question is more along the lines of, "7 drinks per week: 1 per day vs 7 in one day". Pretty much how much different would that impact things, even though the quantity is the same.
@@alexrogers777 This is just not true. Binge drinking is the act of drinking a certain amount of alcohol within a certain amount of time. The numbers I've generally seen in my safe alcohol sales training are 4 drinks within 2 hours. If you do this every single day you are still binge drinking every single day, and it is not occasional.
Once, several years ago, I tried to google how much an alcoholic drinks after watching TV shows portraying alcoholics. I've known several people with a fifth-of-hard-liquor-a-day habits that I'd classify as alcoholic, but what about the average alcoholic. I could get no answer. literally every search result was in the form of "If you're questioning how much you drink, you already have a problem". OK, but I wasn't asking about me, I wanted to compare those on the TV shows. So I still don't know if 2 drinks a day make someone an alcoholic or if one drink a week (but REALLY needing it!) makes one an alcoholic. I did hear a stat on the radio from Britain that said "Researchers found that of those who have 4 drinks a day, 25% are alcoholics"--which made me wonder what the other 75% were.
"I only binge drink on the weekends"
Lmao
I love how well this captures just how complicated it is to research drugs, or for that matter almost anything. All of that research of the 20th century was well executed, it's just almost impossible to actually eliminate other factors.
Also props for the smoothest subscribe plug I've ever seen.
I'm a student scientist, just about to finish my masters in environmental biology. Your channel is like a breath of fresh air! I think one of the major problems with modern 'news' and 'informative' outlets is the fact that they only cover topics on a surface level. I really appreciate the fact you look into the data itself, you don't just take it at face value.
Thanks!
@@Howtown Keep it up!
I still remember Joss's Vox video about Asian Flush! This feels like a spiritual successor in some ways.
Joss who?
@@hamaljay Joss Fong used to work for Vox
Never drank in my life and people judge me for it. These studies were always in the back of my mind and I was worried that not drinking might be worse so thank you for making this.
My 17-year-old brother has no interest in alcohol despite it being freely available at my mother's house. She keeps trying to tell him he will have to start drinking in college too socialize properly... He's a straight A student with a cheerleader girlfriend. He doesn't need alcohol
It's freaking wild that this deadly poison is so ingrained in our societies. It kills more people than all the other drugs combined
Hey Josh, you don’t need research data, or the content of this video to be validated for your choice. You should know that when people judge you for not drinking, the truth is it is not you they are judging, they are simply revealing their own self imposed feelings of inadequacy for not having your conviction, and some will even try to make feel like you are judging them, even though that is not your intention at all.
@@TGMisKillingTheMiddleClass Last sentence is just flat out ridiculous. If everybody was on hard substances society would fall. It's also one of the biggest contributors to crime.
@@yes-gs2rd I really don't think you read the sentence properly
I'll double my drinking for you
I found this extremely fascinating! Love your work, love what you do.
Why did you turn good ol’ water into wine if it was actually bad for us 😢
Omg Jesus! I'm a big fan, been following for years
@@sinsrow8975 jesus was satan all along
Of course you would, running your blood distribution industry and all that.
can you turn water into henny instead?
There's one issue I have with your graph, summarized: Low drinking=low risk, high drinking=high risk
Is that alcohol for many is habit forming. So a few drinks LEADS TO more drinks in many scenarios. So part of the risk of having a few drinks should include the risk of having more drinks, which is associated with negative outcomes
Having one beer or one glass of wine during a meal is not very addictive, because it doesn't get you high, unless you are only 3 feet tall.
@exercisethemind technically no alcohol is addictive, if you're using a clinical definition of addiction. but with someone with a habit, one drink can get easily lead to another
The whole episode I kept thinking of Maintenance Phase's episode about the French Paradox -- part of the "some wine is good" craze in the 90s seems to have originated in the way that different countries label cardiovascular deaths, with French doctors less willing to note "heart attack" as cause of death. There are a lot of confounds here!
Source?
@@seronymusthey already listed their source in the comment? 'Maintenance Phase's episode about the French Paradox'
I think this newer research saved me from alcoholism. Under the "1-2 drinks a day is healthier than none" paradigm, it is too easy to rationalize too much drinking. I am glad the media is no longer gaslighting alcoholics into thinking "just have 1-2 drinks, you'll be healthier than if you have none at all." The obsession with drinking like a normal person fades away a quite a bit when you realize that you don't want to be drinking 1-2 drinks because it's not healthy and your normal-drinking peers are not getting any extra health points that you are missing out on.
Thats why things like this really do need to be clearly condemned, and this is only the direct health consequence of drinking, not to mention domestic violence, vehicular manslaughter, SA, and an overall societal acceptance of not caring about the faculties of your mind.
Alhamdulillah for Islam forbidding alcohol 1400 years ago even when the society it started in was very alcoholic not long before.
@@PakuZerowhy mention Islam? Keep it to yourself man.
@@antri1997 I mean, it seemed pretty relevant.
Just like if there was a study saying "you need to eat fish once a week", it would be relevant to mention catholicism (and probably a some other religions)
@@MrJeanlebonjambon Why? Islam doesnt tell you to not drink alcohol because they scientifically analyzed its compounds, its simply through random guess. Otherwise, with islam logic you should ban medicines since they are technically drugs but of course that doesnt make any sense.
@@antri1997 They basically said "Thank God alcohol has been prohibited in this medieval society". The reason doesn't matter.
I don't really understand where the problem is. They didn't say "join me in my belief of Islam", they just said "I'm happy that Islam outlawed alcohol 1400 years ago"
You're quickly becoming one of my favourite channels on RUclips :)
Question:
Is the "2 Drinks a Day" an absolute value of 2 drinks every single day, or is it more in line with "An average of 2 drinks per day in a week? (14 drinks / week)".
Is this research applicable to someone who say has 7 drinks on Friday and 7 drinks on Saturday?
Does the rate of consumption relate to any health outcomes?
The rate matters a lot, and the 2 drinks per day usually mean just that, an average, which is one of the problems with many studies. Another is that the type of alcoholic beverage consumed matters too, and that is not discussed here. I posted a comment regarding these issues as well.
it is a rate, and that is a problem with these studies, distinguishing the rate with the actual drinking pattern and how that changes things. Binge drinking lacks a whole lot of formalized research as to health effects (which are likely not good, but how much?) for a number of reasons and a lot of confounding variables.
Great episode, your channel is quickly becoming one of my favorites!
Don't know if you'll see this, but I've always had a question about the format that you use. It's setup as one person acting as a layperson, responding as though they have little to no knowledge of subject. Radiolab is a good example of this approach as well. It's always come off to me as somewhat artificial. Radiolab in particular is almost egregious in how far one plays the "I'm surprised by every statement being made".
Is this genuine in that one of you is going blind into the discussion, or is the discussion crafted to try to represent the responses/questions that the audience may be having?
Regardless, really enjoy the content and hope your channel really takes off!
We've experimented with how much the "layperson" knows beforehand ... for this one and the animal sentience one, the non-expert (in the case of this episode, Joss) came in completely blind. But honestly that makes it pretty hard to edit because we kept going on tangents. For other episodes we've shared an outline before we record the conversation just so we have a general sense of the direction and can be more efficient.
I interned at Radiolab once upon a time, and for the episodes I witnessed, they'd record a bunch of conversations as they went along - and the first conversations contained genuine reactions which they would try to use in the final product. But then as the weeks went by, the recordings would obviously become more ... informed
- Adam
@Howtown thank you for the answer! I think one of the reasons I like your content so much is that Joss (in the case of this episode) doesn't actually come off as a "layperson" but instead as a person with a science background that's just not familiar with the details of the topic (which, as you've described, is completely genuine). Other shows are sometimes so jarring in how much one presenter acts as though they have no background knowledge even though they've been performing science journalism for years!
Just a long winded way of saying that I think your entire team is doing a fantastic job!
Thanks so much! it certainly helps that Joss is super smart
@@Howtown I really like the format, like you're taking turns telling each other cool stuff you found. I know it's complicated, but I'd love to get some more of those tangents.
Great question. I'd like to concur that the "one person is pretending that they don't already know the story and reacting as if it's their first time hearing it, but it's not really" in non-fictional / educational material like this really rubs me the wrong way, but I don't recall ever getting that feeling from Howtown. I guess that behavior just feels dishonest in a way I don't like from non-fiction, especially "educational"-y non-fiction. (All acting is "dishonest" in this sense, and I imagine that's why people think it's ok, it's just acting, but ugh.)
This is why understanding what alcohol does within the body is more effective than statistics. Statistics are only superior for processes thathat can't be scientifically examined.
Sober 3 years. Never felt healthier
Hell yea. I've grown up surrounded mostly by people that were into drinking, be it family members or friends, but i never really had the chance or desire to drink.
Past year i've drank a few times heavier than before and realized for myself just how addicting it was. Got drunk for the first time alone in my room and craved to drink for the next month and a half.
It's awful.
Coming up on 6 months! I thought I would miss it, I thought I'd have a hard time socially, but actually I don't miss it at all. Neither does my bank account 😂
You will own nothing. You will eat the bugs. You will only drink water. You will go to work for the mega corporation. You will be happy or else!
I've been sober for awhile now, don't really know how long. Quitting alcohol wasn't really difficult for me though so I don't consider it an accomplishment. I used marijuana for awhile and quit that too. Exercise and good nutrition kinda solved my need for that dopamine hit I guess. I have a feeling a lot of people are chronically undernourished, and that causes them to seek unhealthy coping mechanisms.
Keep it up bro
Constant worrying about something is probably more carcinogenic than the thing itself 😅
I was looking for this comment! As someone who is a constant worrier and tries to remind myself of this lol
Definitely no
@@XandateOfHeaven chronic stress is terrible for your health
@@Julia-rd3kq Yes but worrying about the health effects of alcohol is not worse than alcohol itself.
Hopefully you aren't saying that we should drink instead of worry about it.
Found your channel because of the hot ones video and stayed a subscriber. I love the way you convey information. You know the video is entertaining when 17 mins feel like 5 mins. 👏
A topic you might feel is worth looking into could be the ideal sodium intake. I feel the general narrative in society may be to cut down on salt (and therefore sodium). I am not so well-researched on the topic, but I think there may be some conflicting studies on what is the ideal sodium intake - with lower sodium intakes potentially having drawbacks. Furthermore, those that exercise frequently may benefit from sodium.
AFAIK sodium guidance may be based on those with hypertension. Those without hypertension can probably consume more safely. Salt of course has a lot of benefits beyond the minimum needed to survive, it extends shelf life without the need for artificial preservatives. It also make lower calorie foods more palatable.
As researcher here. Sodium it's bad for you as the current aversge intake. There is a sweet spot between 1.5G of sodium and 2.3 where the guidelines based on the science are recommended.
Cutting down salt it's good your overall health. If you do sweat a lot from exersice or you are in a ketogenic diet that's prone to lose electrolytes. An increase of all electrolytes would be recommended. This means taking sodium with the right amount of potassium and magnesium. That is not more salt but rather something like a sachet of electrolytes or a gatetorade. Some of the issues as well are derived because the aversge American consumes way too much sodium compared to potassium that can counteract its harmful effects
I'm incredibly happy with your content. Your explanations are clear and engaging, and just to the right level of depth for me to get a first grasp on a subject.
Loved this video! Came accross Howtown in the beginning of this year and I am really enjoying the topics your team presents. You're able to present dense research in an engaging way through entertaining story telling and compelling graphs! Very great stuff, thank you!
Just discovered your channel and immediately subscribed !!! Excellent content
13:39 "People die in car crashes, doesn't mean we're not going to drive." This fallacy must be challenged. We can no longer accept death by automobile as inevitable.
Yes! Exactly this. Transport doesn't have to be dangerous, there are more safer and efficient methods.
A follow-up video or piece of research I’d love to see is on binge drinking and the health effects of different patterns of alcohol consumption.
For example: What are the long term effects of having 7 drinks in one sitting once per week vs. 1 drink per day every day? Or: Despite the total consumption being higher, is it better to have 2 drinks per day than to have 12 drinks in one sitting weekly? This feels particularly relevant to teenagers and young adults
Anybody doing Dry January? How's it going?
Every January is Dry January if you never jived with the socially-sanctioned poison in the first place 🤙🏼🤙🏼🤙🏼.
Ive been doing Dry Life for all my life. As i cannot drink. And do not want to.
Dry Life 🙂↕️
I'm gonna get absolutely hammered tonight
Itt seems the easiest way to not drink is to never have started
These videos are so great! The information is well put together, the graphics are beautiful, the style is unique, and Joss & Adam are very charming presenters!
What I don't get about the study is how 2 drinks a day is a "moderate" drinker? That is basically an alcoholic, someone who is regularly consuming effective amounts of alcohol. If it said 2 drinks a week, I would understand it. Drinking a cup of wine while eating or having a couple of beers during the weekends with your friends is what being moderate should be. I would be interested in how that would really affect you.
These studies measure 'standard drinks'. A 330ml beer with 5% alcohol is 1.3 standard drinks & a generous pour of wine could easily be 2.
I don't think that kind of averaging is reflective of the way most people drink though. It's easy to imagine some Italian family that has exactly one & only one glass of wine with every meal, but in the real world people might drink 7 standard drinks on a Saturday night & then stay sober for the rest of the week. I suspect those health outcomes are not going to be the same.
@@bbqR0ADK1LL Oh lol, then a drink at the Oktoberfest would be 4 drinks.
“A cup of wine”. Are you 16?
@@bbqR0ADK1LL The study that is being cited was done in the US where a standard drink is equivalent to a 12oz (350ml) beer that is 5% ABV. Either way a person that actually drinks every single day is very likely an alcoholic even if they don't recognize it. I would think it's safe to say that the majority of alcoholics don't even drink every single day.
Bro that's not excessive drinking. Nor does it make said person an alchoholic. Excessive driking is drinking 5-8 high percent beverages a day every day. That's the point I'm at. I'm trying to cut down to the very reasonable 2
I don’t normally comment on RUclips, but I’ve just recently discovered you all and have been blown away by the rigor of your research and the subsequent simple, articulate presentation. Reminds me of everything I loved about peak Veritasium. I also love the way you two interact - healthy, enthusiastic collaboration. You’ve earned another earnest subscriber. Excited to see more!
As someone who is cutting back on drinking at a young age due to: 1. Wanting to get fit (alcohol + gym = why bother?); 2. Seeing how much harm alcohol does to my mood when drinking even once a week; 3. Absolute hypochondria and paranoia of fear of cancer.
The "putting into perspective" part of your video was very insightful to understand that last part with less fear and more respect. The early corrected curve seems to compound exponentially between 0-2, and understanding that eventual (before casual) drinking is not the end of the world. Yes there is a chance that I might get on those 60 something people earlier, but its so diminutive that its wiser to listen to your own body and not stress too much about it while still in conscious moderation. Tldr: thank you so much for helping an anxious numbers guy that sucks in biology make sense of this news
The Australian ad of 10 a week is insane
Great video. It shows why it pays off for researchers to revisit older findings. And Hank's razor is the coolest things, will definitely start using it for my own research and teaching!
Thanks for oversimplified explanation.... Liked and watched the video entertaining and informative
alcohol can have a negative impact on the gut microbiome. Here's how:
* Changes in bacterial diversity: Alcohol can alter the balance of bacteria in your gut, leading to an overgrowth of certain types and a depletion of others. This imbalance, known as dysbiosis, can disrupt digestion and potentially lead to inflammation.
* Leaky gut: Excessive alcohol consumption can damage the lining of the gut, making it more permeable. This allows harmful substances to leak into the bloodstream, potentially triggering inflammation and immune reactions.
* Reduced nutrient absorption: Alcohol can interfere with the absorption of essential nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, which can further weaken the gut barrier and compromise overall health.
I enjoy your content.
I swear, I just found you guys earlier this week, and you have already become one of my absolute favorite channels. I've watched and will continue to watch everything you release.
"drinking poison is bad for your health" who could have foreseen these consequences?
Friend: You need to start going to the gym
Me: Technically, I'm spending 5 hours a day in gym
As a chronic relapser who struggled for years and done a LOT of research and reading up about the effects of drinking, you are better off drinking one night a week and maybe going kind of hard than you are just having 1 drink a night. when you drink every day, your body is never given time to recover. you will get stuck in a cycle of drinking at night, feeling good, passing out, waking up hungover, repeat ad nauseum. Im truly a believer that NO ammount of booze is good for you. Coming up on 3 years sober and i would never want to go back to the life i had drinking.
Many people hide behind “one glass a day” and have difficult times facing the fact that they can’t skip that “one” glass. Same goes for that “Friday night drink” as long as “occasional” means “every X” it’s bad.
Good for you. I stopped smoking 4 years ago and it was so hard, I can only imagine how much harder it would have been if every so often someone would say “here have a smoke, just to say cheers, you don’t need to smoke it, just hold it for the photo”.
Congratulations. Keep it up
@@lucieciepka1031When you drink liquor that one glass can be a lot of alcohol 😂. I have an alcoholic buddy who sometimes just drinks two beers. Except they are 40s
@@TGMisKillingTheMiddleClass yeah thats what i think, a glass and a beer can are two different things... i drink 2 cans, 500ml, 6%, every day after work, i feel good. but i know its not good. I don't know what to think of this. the older you get the more parts of the body will fall apart regardless, so why not just enjoy things while they last? (its not like i want to live up to 60's and barely function, i take care of a grandma that cannot move, i'd rather die than be in that state)
This video is less about dangers of alcohol and more about dangers of misinterpreted information
One of the most goated channels on the platform
14:20 "thats not so bad"
this is the worst case scenerio. where alcohol is literally causing you damage and pain. even at light drinking this is happening for many ppl each year. you dont see this for any other enjoyment beverages. thats pretty bad.
You all are creating some of the best video journalism out here. Not only is the journalism excellent, but cutting together a cohesive narrative thru your interviews, b-roll, sound ups, and your own to-camera segments and animations, all as a two-person operation, is incredible. Oh and love the beer-pouring montage hook-if you were going for style from Edgar Wright's 'The World's End', you nailed it!
This is one of the best channels I sub to. I try to watch every episode the second it drops. Keep up the amazing work
Amazing episode! Thank you so much
13:35 Actually it should mean exactly that we will not drive our cars. Places which rely on public transit and biking have massively lower road user and pedestrian deaths.
Maybe a follow up topic on how safe travel is by type of transportation and share of transportation modes in the area.
We have tons of deaths and injuries from having lots of car use, but is the individual safer in a car? I don't know.
To your point though, I'm not sure if the person being shown connects the dots that cars are very dangerous and maybe we should make it easier for people to use them less.
Yes, we can still make less people drive cars (making more competitive options) as we tell people to drink more occasional.
And still the biggest risk for people using public transit, pedestrians, and bikers, is being hit by a person driving a car. Also, I bet one of the biggest contributors to being hit by a driver results from the blind spot created by parked cars on the side of the road.
I was thinking just this!
came here to say this
#notjustbikes #strongtowns
Me and my husband stopped drinking because we were afraid that coupled with the constant fatigue, we wouldn’t be able to wake up if our daughter cried at night. Now we allow ourselves the occasional drink when we have guests/ we are invited and I can tell you that it hasn’t contributed positively to our lives, but also just straight out refusing a drink is weird… so yeah, I get the J.
The two drinks a week Guy has become a heritage moment in Canada. When you mentioned it, I was really hoping you were gonna include that shot of him.😂
Quitting alcohol is so much better for quality of life that I would never go back
When people talk about the dangerous of alcohol, they mostly talk about the health damage it cause. And ignore all the social problem it cause.
From drunk driving to wife abuse to money waste... No intoxicant is good for us, if you combine all the harm that it causes, it will surpass whatever minuscule benefit that it may provide.
Everything in moderation.
Uhhhhh..... You at least know that most drinkers don't drive or abuse anyone, right? Like, huge majority. People drive bad and abuse people with no alcohol, too, so there is no way you can tie those behaviors to alcohol without testing it.
Those people might be that same way without needing a drop it just so happens that they also drink. Get it?
But people like you forget one important aspect. It's fun. And most people don't turn into addicts. You clearly missed the point about Hanks Razor. If it can be explained by socioeconomic issues, it's probably socioeconomic issues. Alcohol alone doesn't make anyone punch their spouse lol. Alcohol works as a mood multiplier and removes inhibitions. If you're having a great time with friends, alcohol makes you have a greater time, and makes you able to relax more, talk about subjects you never would have talked about sober, do things you probably wouldn't do sober. For most people this leads to fun nights out once in a while. I have made so many friends, gotten so many great experiences etc from drinking alcohol ~weekly during college and monthly now in my adulthood.
@@Sco10 Yes but you can also having fun without alcohol. In the end, it's up to our choice
Yeah, the thing is, whatever benefit alcohol might have, if you look at its impact holistically with a sober view, it's always a net detriment. Equally importantly, the benefits alcohol might otherwise have had could easily be replaced by alternatives that don't have the same detriments, if you're willing to change habit and cultural behavior. That is the hard part, because as social creatures changing that starts with the individual but ends with the group.
I love your videos so much, this hits just the exact sciency spot that I enjoy
I love the way you guys present information. Please continue to find topics, I want more!
What do you want us to investigate next?
@@Howtown Literally everything? Is that a valid answer?
Is there a scientific reason (as opposed to the many sociological ones) that we orient "north" as "up" in a astronomical sense? Is putting New Zealand at the top of the map as scientifically valid as the opposite when we look at the galaxy?
Apparently time (which is of course an illusion) is experienced differently by creatures of different sizes. How did scientists determine that mouse time is slower than elephant time?
One of my favorite "factoids" is that humans share as much as 50% of our DNA with bananas. But if I'm being honest, I don't /really/ know what that means, not in a concrete sense. Plus, it's probably false/over-exaggerated.
This one is incredibly niche, but I'm so baffled by it. I've heard that dogs know (approximately) when their owner will come home (on the average (well, mode-ian?) day) based on how much the owner's smell has dissipated while the owner has been gone. How on earth did anyone measure that?????
@@Howtown Given that I didnt even know I wanted a video on the last things I watched I don't even know what to suggest.
I look forward to all your videos. You guys are top tier
Started my non-alcohol journey last summer and needed more videos like this to show people that question my decision!
I was about to comment something to point something out but then you got to "the first mistake" and I was like damn I love this channel already
I've never drank a drop of alcohol in my life and never plan to.
I wish I could say the same thing, I am 60, had my first drink at 23 and my last drink at 46. My alcohol consumption was light to moderate during that period, looking back, I definitely would have preferred my consumption to be non existent. Such a waste of money, a friend of mine used to call the money that he spent on alcohol as “bladder bucks”. Anyhow, good for you, I can guarantee that are not missing out by making that life choice.
@CountryMusicSavedMe I know i'm probably not missing out on much. I've already got a friend group (most are in their 20s) who I can watch movies with, go to the park, go hiking, go fishing, go skiing (in Norway by the way) and so on with without any alcohol being involved so I'm pretty lucky in that regard. I plan to never drink but also never smoke, never eat processed and/or junk food and always be as healthy as I can be. It's not that I want to live forever, I'm fine dying at 65 or 70 or something but I want the years, decades I live to be as healthy as I can be, I'm 19 at the moment but I hope I can still be physically healthy and still have no major health problems in my 40s, 50s, 60s even possibly. It's all about the choices you make and every age point matters.
Sounds awful. Hopefully someday you try living your life 🎉
@@pelliqs922 ☝️This guy. ☝️
@@pelliqs922 Now that I know that you are 19, with the attitude and outlook that you have on life, it gives me some hope for the future.
Yes yes yes keep um coming these videos are awesome.
Awesome video as usual folks. Just wanted to add that I especially enjoyed the thumbnail on this one, bravo. :)
Which one did you see? We’re testing 3 …
@Howtown a big red "no", a giant beer glass, and a terrified mini-Adam. 😂
nice - thanks!
I'm a former long-term moderate drinker, slowly tapering down. I hear everyone talking about folks who have one or two drinks a day, as if there's a whole class of alcohol consumers out there who actually do that. There's not. Tolerance sets in, and two beers simply won't do anything for you. It certainly doesn't give me a buzz, and I'm a lightweight who never could drink a lot at one time without vomiting from dawn until dusk the next day. I guess I could sum up my position by saying that very few people who drink on a daily basis limit themselves to just one or two.
Yeah. These studies are hard for the amount of variables that exist.
You cannot compare a person who has some drinks a week but has great nutrition and exercises daily to a non-drinker who eats fast foods on a daily basis and does not exercise.
Also need to take into account genetics and body type too. Also, what are they drinking? Different drinks have different ABV levels and different contents and different fermentation and distillation methods that could affect your health wildly.
You both are doing great journalism! Love this channel
Holding a can of ice cold right now. Wondering if I should watch this now or later.
Just don't drink every day and you might be alright :^]
@@senismarsenis9678 No amount of alcohol is safe.
My new favorite RUclips channel. Awesome work, Adam and Joss!
Unfortunately shades of grey don't grab headlines. This was a great episode! Thank you!
thank you guys for your videos!! love it
Love how you used the paintings as illustrations of your story.
This channel is just amazing, the way yall communicate topics is really unique, ive been binge watching your content and Ive learned so many things, keep the great work! (also, amazing editing!)
German here, our Alcohol manufacturers are so incredibly powerful that the stopped a left leaning government from enacting stricter rules on alochol advertisements.
It is especially bad in bavaria, but the issue is nationwide. we are a drunk af country and legalising weed has only increased the problematic look ppl have towards drugs.
I Heard Germany is very relaxed with alcohol. You are seen as wierd in social gatherings, it is part of various festivals and celebrations, and even teens are relaxed about it. Is all of this true?? I don't know since i don't live there
Legalising weed is considered as progressive and part of leftits. Are you conservative?
Your videos are very 'put together' and professional. It's just what YT needs!
Alcohol also increases the risks of accidents, domestic violence and other violent crimes.
On the other hand, it can enhance your social life and benefit your well-being.
Something a study could barely even cover. At this point, it's not about the alcohol itself. I think it makes little sense to look at individuals. The more important question is, does alcohol benefit or harm a society as a whole.
Good point
Imagine sitting in a retirement home, and not being allowed a beer or smal glass of strong spirit once per week (whatever you fancy, peoples taste varies) because is has detrimental health effect. You lived past expectations, you are no longer in peak condition and that special moment once a week will bring back good memories and improve your mental state.
But not, if you drink that amount of alcohol, you might shorten your remaining life span by a day or two (theoretically, based on someone drinking three times that every day, so 20 times more).
I remember once Jordan Peterson (who lived in a very, err, alcohol enhanced region of Canada) said something along the lines of "drinking a little is better than drinking nothing", in the sense that alcohol still mediates sociality in regions like his, and to forfeit it meant to forfeit a non-small portion of social life.
I'm a light drinker and I recognize the advantages of never drinking anything, but I also have to face the fact that my friends drink, and if I went full Eminem that would be yet another element of distance between me and them.
Overall I'd lose 1% chance to get a heart attack at 60 in exchange for talking to them less, and maybe eventually losing touch.
PLEASE do this on smoking as well. Media says "One cigarette a day is almost as harmful as one ENTIRE PACK"
A 2019 Columbia University study found that light smokers (less than 5 per day) were closer to heavy smokers (30+ per day) in terms of lost lung function than non-smokers.
Light smokers lost lung function at 75% the rate of heavy smokers. The relationship between dose and ill effects on health is highly non-linear.
Basically light smoking is closer to heavy smoking than it is to not smoking.
Who the hell smokes one cigarette every day consistently? Social smokers will not smoke for weeks and then smoke 10 cigs at a party but I've never seen anyone who smoked regularly who didn't smoke at least 1/3 of a pack per day.
So I will share with you my alcohol drinking experience along with my experiment with nicotine from using a JUUL. Since the nicotine experience came first I will start with when I tried JUUL. When I first tried JUUL I ordered it online and had it shipped to my address before they stopped doing that (at least in my area.) I could not get past the coughing fits and it really messed up my lungs for about 2 years and I only used it for a few weeks so after that I stopped using it and literally threw it into the garbage. Now lets talk about alcohol, When I first tried alcohol I drank Mikes Hard and I tried the black berry and the mango versions of the drink. During that time I just could not get past the taste of the alcohol in the drink. After about two weeks like with JUUL I stopped drinking alcohol and never picked up a beer or wine glass or even a can again. I was always told that all legal drugs should be done in moderation but I never really got into drugs, In fact the only legal drug I drink is coffee. I hope this post might help some people who want to try the drugs a personal opinion to help them choose if they want to try alcohol.
Yeah, don't do it just because others do. Be above that stuff, not like Luci and his useful idiot meatpuppets.
It's amazing how quickly you've become a favorite channel. Soooooooo good!
Ah, so Vox and NPR came together and created this masterpiece of a channel?! Love it, keep up the amazing work! Love your channel and the topics you cover!
Once again an amazing investigative video!
I've been sober for 15 years, and when someone asks me why, I simply reply, "It's poison." People always laugh, but I am completely serious.
I hope to say the same in 15 years, I've already slowed down a bunch and recognized my unhealthy relationship with alcohol. There is no 'one drink'
Starting with 2025, and I have a feeling after one year I can get over all the social drinking aspects. Anxiety won't get better if I need liquid poison to get through social shit
Wow you’re so much better than everyone else!!!
@@TGMisKillingTheMiddleClassYou should try hypnotherapy. I have heard that's great for anxiety.
So is fish, red meat, candy....
Yeah subtitute alcohol with mercury by your logic because both are poison.
If it hurts you over a long time thats just "unhealthy", not poisonous
Excellently researched, very informative, and entertaining the whole way. Great video that answered something I've always wondered
The subtle subscribe sign at 1:11 is actually hilarious
Thorough and informative, clearly explained the somewhat complex contextual information. Kudos!
Yeah, the sick person thing is absolutely true. I would hate to be in one of those studies because I am an almost complete non-drinker...but that is largely due to the fact I have multiple serious conditions that leave me disabled. I would seriously fuck up the numbers for non-drinkers, but it entirely reverses causation. Me not drinking didn't make me unhealthy, me being unhealthy made me a non-drinker.
really enjoying you're content. keep up the good work 👍
You are doing God's work -- dispelling bad data and debunking bad stats. Only with the truth can we move humanity forward more clear-eyed. Subscribed.
A few years ago my doctor at the annual visit asked how much I drink.
I said about a 12 pack. She looked alarmed. "Every day"? No, I said, about a 12 pack over the course of a year. She seemed relieved. In reality I probably only do about a six over the course of the year. I just don't much enjoy alcohol anymore. Sort of give me an immediate hangover and horrific heartburn.
16:37 I bet the pressure was pretty high to get that in one take haha
It looks like it wasn’t the first take 😂
Amazing animation and motion design in this one. Superb work. Keep it up!
So basically: correlation does not equal causation
Here, i saved you 17 minutes.
You obviously didn't watch, or understand this video
@thedandude clearly one of us doesn't have a clue about what they are talking about
Gosh I love this channel, every but sensationalism ❤
At 1:28, you mention the common assumption that cheese might 'cause' heart attacks.
There are many similar claims made about saturated fats in general, cholesterol and also red meats on those topics. All of these are often purported to be very unhealthy by the media and even 'health' organisations.
How bad are they actually? Could you make a similar episode on that?
Saturated fat is needed for hormones, in normal consumption doesnt contribute to heart disease.
They are bad. Increase LDL. Cholesterol and Apo B. They are some of the major causes of atherosclerosis.
We don't need cholesterol for hormones. Because we already make our own cholesterol.
Some saturated fat it's fine. But that doesn't mean it's healthy.
They are also inflammatory on their own. Cause damage to our microbiome and inflames our gut
Bravo! Love the quality content you folks put out there-- journalism done right!